France’s Hollande Survives Socialist Revolt Over Labor Reforms

Dissidents angered over the president’s use of Article 49 to push through labor changes without a parliamentary vote

By

William Horobin

Updated May 11, 2016 1:43 pm ET

PARIS—President François Hollande is poised to pass a contentious labor bill after surviving a mutiny Wednesday among lawmakers inside his Socialist majority who campaigned to hold a parliamentary vote to topple his government.

Mr. Hollande’s attempt to overhaul France’s rigid labor laws resulted in dramatic political brinkmanship with Socialist lawmakers threatening to vote down legislation they say erodes workers’ rights. The government, which argues the measures are necessary to bring down unemployment, invoked Article...